Linux Marketshare is Rising

Linux usage is on the rise if the latest data from net-statistics firm ‘NetMarketShare’ is to be believed.

Data collected by the company sees the market share of Linux jump from 0.96% in January 2011 to 1.41% by the year’s end – impressive if indicative of wider trends.

‘The But’

Statistics from one company alone are rarely able to paint the fullest picture. What story do statistic collected by other market share monitors tell?

I took available month-by-month data from the most prominent companies (noted on the chart below) and plotted them on the same graph. As not all firms report data for all months there are gaps – so view the chart below with this in mind.

Slightly less clear-cut, huh?

The wild variation between companies depends on the data collection method used and type of audience. But, overall, most companies are reporting an ‘upwards’ movement in Linux market share, if to varying degrees.

What would really help give a better overview of any general trend in Linux usage is an average market share percentage. So I’ve done just that, taking the average reach for each month (based on stats from all the companies) and plotted it below.

The results show that there is a steady, but definite overall rise in the market share of Linux.